In cricket, a century is a score of 100 or more runs in a single innings by a batsman.[1] Scores of more than 200 runs are still statistically counted as a century, although these scores are referred to as double century (200–299 runs).[2] A century or a double century is regarded as a landmark score for batsmen and a player's number of centuries or double centuries are generally recorded in their career statistics.[3] Test cricket, the longest version of the game, involves two innings per side in a match and scheduled to last for up to five days.[4] An individual scoring a double century and a century in the two innings of a single Test match is considered a notable achievement by critics.[5]
The first player to score a double hundred and a hundred in the same Test match was Doug Walters from Australia, who scored 242 runs in the first innings and 103 runs in the third innings.[6] He achieved the feat on 17 February 1969 at Sydney Cricket Ground, while playing against the West Indies during the fifth Test of the bilateral series.[7]`The second player to reach the milestone was India's Sunil Gavaskar, who did it in April 1971 at Queen's Park Oval, against the West Indies . At the age of 21, he made scores of 124 and 220 in the first and third innings respectively,[8] becoming the youngest player to set the record.[9] With this, he also became the first player to have double centuries in all four innings in Tests.[10] Lawrence Rowe was the first player to score a double century and a century in a single Test on his debut match,[11][12] which he did against New Zealand in February 1972.[13] His scores of 214 and 100* was also the first time that a player scored a double ton and a ton in the same match and remained not out in any one of the two innings.[14] Graham Gooch has the highest aggregate in a match while scoring a double century and a century in both the innings;[15] his combined tally of 456 runs in the match—333 in the first and 123 in the second innings—was entered into The Guinness Book of Records as "Most runs scored by a player in a Test match".[16] He also became the first batter to score a triple century and a century in the same Test match, while playing against India in July 1990.[17] Brian Lara’s scores of 221 and 130 against Sri Lanka in November 2001, is the first and only instance of a player achieving the landmark on a losing cause.[18]
The feat has been accomplished by 8 players on 8 occasions as of April 2023. Players from Australia have accomplished the feat thrice, the most for any team in the history. No batter has been able to score a double hundred and hundred in a Test match on more than one occasions in his career so far.[19]
Symbol | Meaning |
---|---|
Player | The batsman who scored the centuries |
Inn1 | Score made by batsman in the first innings of the match |
Inn2 | Score made by batsman in the second innings of the match |
* | Batsman remained not out |
Team | The team the batsman was representing |
Opposition | The team the batsman was playing against |
Venue | The cricket ground where the match was played |
Date | Starting date of the Test match |
Result | Result for the team for which the century was scored |
No. | Player | Inn1 | Inn2 | Team | Opposition | Venue | Date | Result | Ref |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Doug Walters | 242 | 103 | Australia | West Indies | Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney | 14 February 1969 | Won | [20] |
2 | Sunil Gavaskar | 124 | 220 | India | West Indies | Queen's Park Oval, Port of Spain | 13 April 1971 | Drawn | [21] |
3 | Lawrence Rowe | 214 | 100* | West Indies | New Zealand | Sabina Park, Kingston | 16 February 1972 | Drawn | [22] |
4 | Greg Chappell | 247* | 133 | Australia | New Zealand | Basin Reserve, Wellington | 1 March 1974 | Drawn | [23] |
5 | Graham Gooch | 333 | 123 | England | India | Lord's, London | 26 July 1990 | Won | [24] |
6 | Brian Lara | 221 | 130 | West Indies | Sri Lanka | Singhalese Sports Club Cricket Ground, Colombo | 29 November 2001 | Lost | [25] |
7 | Kumar Sangakkara | 319 | 105* | Sri Lanka | Bangladesh | Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Chittagong | 4 February 2014 | Drawn | [26] |
8 | Marnus Labuschagne | 204 | 104* | Australia | West Indies | Perth Stadium, Perth | 30 November 2022 | Won | [27] |